Death toll soars as Bangladesh ferry sinks after collision

Munir Uzzaman

Dhaka: The death toll in a ferry accident in central Bangladesh soared to 69 on Monday, after emergency workers recovered more bodies from the wreckage of an overcrowded boat that sank after colliding with a cargo vessel.

Authorities said "several" people were still unaccounted for after the ferry sank within just two minutes of the collision on Sunday, making it all but impossible for passengers below deck to escape.

Up Next

Barcelona terror attack: Spain hunts for van driver

Barcelona terror attack: Spain hunts for van driver

Spain mounts a sweeping anti-terror operation after a suspected Islamist militant drove a van into crowds in Barcelona, killing 13 people before fleeing, in what police suspect was one of multiple planned attacks.

Bangladeshi rescue workers attempt to lift the wreckage of a ferry that capsized after colliding with a cargo vessel in the Padma River in Manikganj district, about 40 kilometres northwest of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Photo: A.M. Ahad

"The death toll is now 69," he added. Government administrator Rashida Ferdous said most of the estimated 150 people on board had been accounted for.

Those who were on the upper deck were able to swim away or were rescued by other boats.

Advertisement

"Almost all those died were helplessly trapped inside the lower deck after the boat sank," Ferdous said.

Bangladeshi people cry as rescuers search the River Padma after a passenger ferry sank after colliding with a cargo boat. Photo: A.M. Ahad

"My brother was a brilliant student and a textile worker. He called me on Sunday morning that he was heading to village after hearing our father has suffered a brain stroke," Ali wept, taking 23-year-old Mohammad Sharif's head in his hand.